Come see us at Pujols 5 in St. Louis!

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 11:56 am

We’re all very excited about adding Pujols 5 in St. Louis to the NFBC lineup this year. It’s hard to believe the first drafts start in just a few days!

For those who new to the area, Pujols 5 is located in Westport Plaza, which is only about five miles away from the airport. In addition to several restaurants at Westport, including The Drunken Fish (for sushi lovers), Trainwreck, and a Kobe Japanese Grill, there’s a Funny Bone Comedy Club, a tapas/vodka bar called IceKitchen and a jazz club called Backstreet Jazz and Blues. So if you’re looking for something to do on Friday or Saturday night following your draft, there are plenty of entertainment options to check out.

Here is a map of the Plaza, if you’re interested: http://www.westportstl.com/Map.html

Registration will begin an hour before drafts start on both Friday and Saturday, so if you want to come early and scout the area, feel free. There’s also a bar with plenty of hi-def TVs you can enjoy before the proceedings begin.

On Friday, both Double Play leagues will be held in the Hall of Fame room located right off the bar. On Saturday, the two Classic leagues will be held in separate rooms located right next to each other. League 1 will be in the Wine Room, and League 2 will be in Table 1 Room. Both are located right next to the host desk.

Participants will be allowed to order lunch/dinner off the Pujols 5 menu on both Friday and Saturday. Those playing in the 11am Double Play on Friday can eat following the draft, and we suggest those playing the 5pm Double Play on Friday arrive early and eat before the draft. Saturday participants can order food after the Classic at noon. During the draft, there will be snacks and drinks available.

We look forward to seeing everyone this weekend! Happy drafting!

Mike Sheets

[ March 16, 2010, 06:27 PM: Message edited by: Mike Sheets ]

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 12:02 pm

Mike,

We've got a long car trip.

What is your contact number in case Dorothy's house falls on us in Kansas?

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 12:08 pm

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Mike,

We've got a long car trip.

What is your contact number in case Dorothy's house falls on us in Kansas? You can reach me at: 314-749-3519

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 12:11 pm

Thanks Mike.

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Mar 17, 2010 9:02 am

Guys,

Just a quick update on a slight change for this weekend's drafts at Pujols 5:

Instead of the two Classic leagues on Saturday being held in different rooms, they will now be held in the same room - The Cafe Room - which is also located next to the host desk. This room is larger and will give everyone more room to spread out, so this is definitely an upgrade. And we'll have the registration table set up right outside, so you can't miss it.

Both Friday drafts are unchanged - they're both still located in the Hall of Fame room, right off the bar.

See you all this weekend!

Mike

Thunder · Post by **Thunder** » Wed Mar 17, 2010 9:56 am

thanks mike

can't wait.

will be fun meeting everyone and looking forward to a great league....and year.

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 5:26 pm

Guys,

Just wanted to send a quick thank you for everyone who came out to NFBC St. Louis at Pujols 5 this weekend. I know myself and the rest of the Fanball staff had a great time. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did, and hopefully drafted a winning team in process!

Best of luck this season, and for those drafting in Chicago, see you next weekend!

Mike

wahooblue · Post by **wahooblue** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 2:52 am

Mike,

You and your crew did a great job.Thanks for a good time. Looking forward to the season.Good luck to everyone.

JohnP · Post by **JohnP** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 3:18 am

St Louis thoughts...

1. Mike did a great job. Obviously extremely knowledgeable of all players / positions and managed to slip in some humorous comments "minor leaguer Strasburg", etc.

2. The room where the draft was held in was fine except for size. We were very cramped for room. Even after adding 3 tables to the horseshoe it was still very tight and almost no room to spread out or maneuver around. The initial idea of having 1 draft in one room and the other draft in a second room probably was the better idea. The proximity also caused a fair amount of confusion between the two drafts.

3. Post - Game

Nice sports bar. Food was great - thanks! Unfortunately they ran out of kleenex as Jay Hawk nation went home crying. Ali Farokhmanesh for 3.....kaboom.

Thunder · Post by **Thunder** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 3:50 am

agree with TM on his thoughts above. Mike and crew did the best they could with what they had.

it was a little cramped, but we spread out as far as the room would allow.

i felt the flow of the draft was good, roughly 70 minutes for 10 rounds plus the two 10 min breaks. we were done in 4hr 15min.

it would have been nice to be able to spread out a little more, but then again we couldn't become "closer" friends.

pujols 5 is a nice place, although that part of St. Louis can be confusing to get in and out of if your driving from out of town. my GPS got me to the plaza, but didn't know where i was when i was leaving.. :rolleyes:

all-in-all...it was a lot of fun with a great group and should be a competitive league.

thanks to mike and crew.

PS..now Dan's wife knows what someone from Kentucky sounds like.

[ March 21, 2010, 09:52 AM: Message edited by: Kentucky Reign ]

Timcards · Post by **Timcards** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 5:25 am

It was great to meet you guys and Mike and his crew did a FANTASTIC job. I can't stress that enough. Some people don't have the personality to work a fantasy draft but Mike and his co-workers went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and did a great job running things.

The room was tight but not as tight as the battle for this league will be. Corey and I (the Memphis boys) had a nice time and met some really good people. Hopefully our team is solid enough to battle with the rest.

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 5:35 am

Originally posted by Trash Man:

2. The room where the draft was held in was fine except for size. We were very cramped for room. Even after adding 3 tables to the horseshoe it was still very tight and almost no room to spread out or maneuver around. The initial idea of having 1 draft in one room and the other draft in a second room probably was the better idea. The proximity also caused a fair amount of confusion between the two drafts. Yeah, adding the three extra tables helped, but I know some would have preferred a little extra space. I will say, however, that the room we used worked much better than the initial two-room setup would have. While one group would have had a little extra room, the second group wouldn't have even realistically fit into the second, smaller room, which is why the switch was made.

Anyway, we appreciate any feedback you guys have so we can continue to improve these events and make them the best they can be.

Rainiers · Post by **Rainiers** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:44 am

Mike, Thanks for the great job you, Kyle and the boys all did in St. Louis. Can't quite believe how enjoyable the whole event was...

Leaguemates, It was terrific meeting a bunch of guys that share my passion for fantasy baseball. I wish you all a great and healthy season...

Robert

cugjp1 · Post by **cugjp1** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 12:55 pm

All,

My wife and I had great fun in St Louis. Everyone was great to chat with and although cramped the draft went well and we had a great time. Good luck to all....

Now...all I need is a miracle

I have in my draft list: Heyward, A Jackson, Ian Desmond, E. Dukes, D, Jennings, Dye....Next couple weeks might tell all for me.

George

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 1:53 pm

I echo the thoughts of all about St Louis.

Mike, you and the staff were terrific. You and the guys ran the draft at a good pace and everybody was at complete ease.

The room was cramped and a couple of people were loud, but nothing that couldn't be dealt with.

After drafting in Las Vegas the first five years with the 'ballroom effect' of having 8-10 tables, the small room with two drafts going had a local draft feel to it and was even a little refreshing. Meeting everybody was a highlight.

Thanks to all the people in League one, truly, outstanding folks.

Dinner with Eric David, 'the Slackers', and the Brady Bros after the draft was perfect to wrap up the evening.

Bill, my wife was pleased to hear the Kentucky twang

Ballfour · Post by **Ballfour** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 1:05 pm

I thought the draft was run well. Good guys ( and gals) to draft with. The motel was fine. The area had lots of eating drinking and entertainment options. I would be happy to go back there next year.

SlackerDan · Post by **SlackerDan** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 1:56 pm

Good time in St Louis ... Fanball staff did a good job and thanks for bringing in more tables - that helped! I really enjoyed the after draft dinner. Rarely do we take the time to get to know our fellow league mates. Really enjoyed it! Going to be a long season, because our team needs some help!

SlackerDan

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:49 pm

Originally posted by SlackerDan:

Good time in St Louis ... Fanball staff did a good job and thanks for bringing in more tables - that helped! I really enjoyed the after draft dinner. Rarely do we take the time to get to know our fellow league mates. Really enjoyed it! Going to be a long season, because our team needs some help!

SlackerDan Same here Slackers!

Having dinner with you guys, Eric, and the Brady Bros was almost as good as the draft.

Good luck to y'all in this league.

Johnny Archive · Post by **Johnny Archive** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:32 pm

I'd also like to take a moment and give props to Mike Sheets and the entire Fanball.com staff at Pujols 5 Grill in St. Louis. I had a great time talking to several of the participants prior to the start of the drafts.

I really appreciate those of you who took time out of your draft prep to do a quick interview.

Catching up with long-time friend and fantasy sports stalwart, John Zaleski, was awesome.

It was also cool to talk with Pat DePirro, who I knew as Cory Schwartz's friend and co-owner for several years, after the draft. DePirro took some heat as he entered the draft room wearing a Yankees jersey and only minutes until the start. But he held strong when he muttered,"So, this is how you treat a world champion?". Classic.

The food was tremendous and reasonably priced. And yeah, it was kinda sad seeing all the KU fans deal with what must've been an unthinkable loss for the KU hoops team.

I had to leave for a FSWA draft, so I didn't get to hang out as long as I would've preferred. But I had a wonderful time and look forward to playing some of the interviews on this Sunday's podcast.

Congrats Tom and Greg on another successful NFBC season!

-Johnny Archive

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:46 pm

Thanks for the interview Johnny.

Great questions...

When I got back to my chair, my wife asked why I was being interviewed.

I told her that the other 14 guys all said, "No!"

JohnZ · Post by **JohnZ** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:38 am

Johnny...

It was great to see you again after all these years. Glad you are doing well.

Had a great time at the draft. Sick SP run.

It was great talking to Dan, Eric, Bill, Jack and William from League 1 and meeting all those in the LV/STL league. Great dinner with Ken Crum and others.

Kudos to Sheets and all for a good time.